Friday, November 16, 2012

When Artists Cook

Pantry Jenga.....

Hi Everyone, Tracey Fletcher King here. Finally I am getting this post off to you as
part of the When Artist’s Cook Series... talk about a task and a half... you
see I had this great idea that I would paint part of my pantrybecause it is a great go to placewhen I am low on ideas and need something to
draw... there is just something about all the bright colours on the packaging
that always appeals to me... in fact I have been known to buy ingredients based
on the packaging... which means I am a complete marketers dream.... put it into
a pretty packet and it will find its way into the trolley.

So I popped into the pantry and took a couple
of photos... there was the ever teetering Tower of Tea... which I have drawn
before so didn’t seem like a likely target... the row or cereals, but they are
kind of boring.... the cluster of sauces and bits... had possibilities... but
at the end of the day nothing compares to the deep dark corner that holds all
the tins and spices... now as you can see there is nothing orderly about this
part of the pantry... in fact it is downright dangerous half the time ... take
one wrong can without shoring up the rest and you find yourself buried under
the avalanche of corn, black beans and salmon... and for the record a tin of
salmon landing on your foot at just the right angle leads to quite the
bruise...

Photos in hand I headed back to the studio,
printed them out, picked the image and started drawing it up... was interrupted
about five galzillion times, got totally distracted... forgot what I was
drawing... drew a million other things... spent too long on Pinterest looking
at recipes.... filled some commissions .... wrote some blogs... did some more
painting... wrote to Dion saying she would have it tomorrow... forgot about it
... again... got distracted ... again... remembered to work on it... almost finished
it... then gust of bloody wind picked it up when I was off making a cuppa and smeared
the wet paint everywhere... so cursed and shook head... ate chocolate to
console myself.... and then started again... until finally here it is... told
you it was a task and a half... all for a messy pile of tins....

Which begs the question as to why I don’t get
in and organise it... why not line it up and group them according to content so
you can find the tin you need without having to unpack half the shelf... or at
the very least not stick large tins on top of small ones... and a bit of
organisation may also answer the age old question as to how on earth I end up
with so many cans of chick peas.... alas I ignore all of this sensibleness... I
laugh in the face of an organised and safe pantry... I am in it for the
danger...the thrill of discovery... the puzzlement that is the aforementioned
tins of chickpeas... I love the Jenga-esque nature of the hunt... the
possibility of being buried under the inevitable avalanche...the dance that
comes with getting your feet out of the way of the falling tins of beans ... it
appeals to my sense of adventure and fun... and if I am entirely honest there
is nothing quite as enjoyable as sending other family members to fetch
something and hear the yelps and crashes emerging... which could be seen as
sadistic but so much danger has been sucked out of our sanitised, anti-
bacterialised lives that I think it really brings some excitement to the day...so
how can that be a bad thing... xx

Jenn I have done a little sorting, not to make it more organised, we have just been using up some of the mountain so it is happening organically... sure it will start to build up to dangerous proportions again soon...xx

For sketching and painting there is a lot more drama in your Jenga-pantry than mine. Yours is exciting and dangerous. Mine is boring and semi-controlled--LOL! I love this! It fits you perfectly. Watch those toes and have a happy weekend! :)

Tracey,Don't know how I missed this post earlier, but it really makes me smile. And feel a bit homesick. My mother won't thank me for this, but she has a pantry (or two) that would rival yours. One is a walk-in, and it really is an act of faith to try to get anything off the overhead shelves!

I grew up with two younger sisters, and am most definitely 'type A.' When house cleaning tasks were doled out, I was typically the one assigned to organize the pantries, the tupperware cupboard, the spices, etc. It was a Sisyphean project, as I knew very well the whole thing would be in a marvelous state of chaos within the week.

Now, my pantries are fairly organized, largely because I live in a small apartment. With space at a premium, and stuffed full of home-canned goods, things have to be orderly to fit at all.

Thanks so much for this trip down memory lane!Bethann at fruit.root.leaf.www.fruitrootleaf.com

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